Morals refine manners, as manners refine morals.
[Die Sittlichkeit verfeinert die Sitte, und die Sitte wiederum die Sittlichkeit.]
Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830-1916) Austrian writer
Aphorisms [Aphorismen], No. 133 (1880) [tr. Wister (1883)]
(Source)
(Source (German)). Alternate translation:Morality refines customs and customs in turn refine morality.
[tr. Scrase/Mieder (1994)]